Project TERAPAN
Block diagram of the mechanical beam-steering setup (left) and implemented transmitter side on a computer controlled mechanical pan-tilt unit (right).
Beam-Steering
Measured received antenna power and error vector magnitude as a function of the angle of arrival.
Project Phase I: Proof-of-concept by mechanical beam-steering
An experimental setup was developed for a first proof-of-concept by mechanical beam-steering. A digital-to-digital transmission at a carrier frequency of 300 GHz using data rates of up to 64 Gbit/s was successfully demonstrated up to now.
The basic algorithms and technology for later electrical beam-steering have been tested. Directive antennas exhibiting an antenna gain of 22 dBi were used. The initial search for a transmission path can be realized at lower frequencies with broader antenna patterns. Beam-steering within an angle of +-15 degs was demonstrated at data rates of more than 10 Gbit/s. The error vector magnitude and received power as a function of the angle of arrival is shown in the graph below.
Block diagram of the electrical beam-steering setup.
Project Phase II: Electronic beam-steering
An experimental setup is under development for validating data transmission with all-electronic beam-steering. The second project phase targets data rates of more than 40 Gbit/s.